The present invention relates to chemical dispensers, and, more particularly, is directed to an improved chemical dispenser adapted to be used in conjunction with a large round baler for applying dry particulate chemical to the crop material as same is being formed into a large round bale.
Although large round balers are relatively new, they have achieved much success in the market place and are widely used by farmers and livestock operators. These machines are used to bale a variety of forage crops, such as hay and the like, and generally form a bale 5-6 feet long, 4-5 feet in diameter and weighing approximately 1000-1500 pounds. Due to the size and weight of these large round bales, transport and storage thereof is not as convenient as the conventional smaller rectangular bales. Consequently, it has been a common practice to store these bales outside, generally in the field where they were formed.
One problem with outside storage of these large round bales is weathering. Exposure to excessive rain, snow, ice and other elements causes spoilage of the crop. In such outside storage, a given amount of waste is expected and normally accepted. However, while this spoilage waste is costly to the farmer or livestock operator on a crop loss basis alone, it could increase his risk of herd losses should he feed this spoiled crop material to his livestock.
Another problem associated with the large round bale is when the forage crop is too wet when formed into a bale. Such bales containing excess moisture, when exposed to air, are subjected to the growth of mold, fungi, mildew and the like. Animals are reluctant to eat such types of spoiled crop material, but if they do, they can suffer adverse health effects therefrom. In addition high moisture crop material, such as hay, formed into a bale is commonly known to ignite by spontaneous combustion causing destruction not only of the crop material bale, but also the building in which the bale may be stored. Thus, there is a strong desire to prevent this type of spoilage in addition to the spoilage caused by weathering.
Yet another problem associated with the large round bale is the nutritional value of the crop material. Some crop materials do not have a high nutritional feed value; other crop material, such as hay, if cut and then rained on before being formed into a bale loses part of its nutritional value. Round balers have little success in trapping the leaves of very dry hay. It is the leaves which are high in nutritional value. As a result, the adding of nutrients to such crop materials is recognized and desired.
Attempts have been made to solve some, if not all, of these problems associated with the large round forage crop material bale. However, each of the attempted solutions has its disadvantages and shortcomings, and no single solution until this present invention satisfactorily and successfully overcomes the above stated problems.
One approach to solve the spoilage problem of large round bales due to weathering when stored outside is to wrap the bale with a plastic material or encase the bale in a plastic bag. Besides the extra costs, time, and work expended in such an encasing process, this approach does not address the problem of spoilage due to the baling of wet hay nor does it address the problem of adding nutrients to the forage crop material.
Another approach to the spoilage problem due to weathering has been taken by some of the round bale manufacturers. Attempts have been made to design a round bale machine that wraps the crop material in such a way that the outer layers of the bale act as a cover or shield to prevent rain and the like from penetrating into the bale. This approach has not been as successful as desired, and furthermore, again does not address the problems of spoilage due to wet crop material or the adding of nutrients to the bale.
The adding of nutritional chemicals to the hay during the baling process was recognized many years ago as evidenced by Heisey in U.S. Pat. No. 2,642,793 which shows an attachment for square/rectangular bales wherein dry particulate nutritional chemicals were sprinkled into the bale forming chamber for distribution of chemicals within the square bale. The chemical dispenser was mechanically driven by a star wheel in contact with and advanced by the bale being pushed through the bale chamber.
More recently, others have borrowed from the teachings of the Heisey patent and taken a conventional chemical dispenser, now driven by an electric motor, and have attached it to a large round baler for adding not only nutritional chemicals to the crop material being baled, but also, preservative type chemicals so as to prevent crop material spoilage caused from weathering and/or the baling of wet crop material. This round baler chemical attachment, operating similar to the one used by Heisey, drops or sprinkles the chemicals over the crop material as it is being formed into a bale. One disadvantage with such an attachment is that the chemicals are not uniformly distributed throughout the bale. Another disadvantage is that there is much waste of the chemicals which is costly. Further, since the dispenser is manually operated it requires much time and concentration by the operator.
Relatively recently, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,205,514, there has been introduced into the market place a chemical dispenser attachment for a round baler which sprays liquid chemicals (preservatives or nutrients) into a bale. The attachment includes a pump that is driven by the power takeoff of a tractor which tows the round baler, a liquid holding tank for storing the chemicals to be sprayed, and a plurality of spray nozzles for spraying the chemicals on the crop material. For automatically turning the spray nozzle on and off, the attachment also includes an on-off valve which is actuated through a mechanical linkage by the bale being formed when it reaches a given size. Although this attachment may be an improvement over the art, it is not the most desired for the reason that it applies the chemicals in a liquid form rather than a dry particulate form in which chemicals are more readily available, easier to store, and more convenient to work with. Furthermore, such an attachment contains several components which are not only costly, but must be cleaned often, preferably after each use. Still further, the operator must exercise care in not allowing the liquid chemical to be sprayed on the components of the baler where such may cause failure and malfunction of same.
Thus, it is desirable to have a chemical dispenser for attachment to a round baler which would apply dry particulate chemicals, rather than liquid chemicals, to the crop material as it is formed into a large round bale and which attachment would be capable of dispersing the chemicals on the crop material rather than just sprinkling the chemicals on the crop material so as to achieve substantially uniform distribution of the chemicals throughout the crop material bale. Further, in keeping with the above, it is desirable that the chemicals be applied only to the crop material rather than other components of the round baler, thereby conserving the usage of chemicals which are expensive, and also decreasing the likelihood of malfunction of the baler. Still further, it is desirable that the chemical dispenser be operated automatically rather than manually so as to insure that each bale or portion of the bale has complete distribution of chemicals throughout and so that chemicals are not wasted during times when a bale is not being formed such as when the operator is traveling to and from the fields, and when there is an incomplete windrow.